


it's okay, you're still learning

by galaxyksj



Series: kitten joong ☆°•~ [1]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Kitten hybrid hongjoong, caregiver seonghwa, hongjoong is young and still learning, other members will make appearances throughout the story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:48:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27715001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galaxyksj/pseuds/galaxyksj
Summary: "𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺; 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦.𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘩𝘸𝘢."
Relationships: Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Series: kitten joong ☆°•~ [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2027993
Comments: 14
Kudos: 95





	it's okay, you're still learning

**Author's Note:**

> ok so I dont really know where this idea came from but I honestly really enjoyed writing this. I love me some kitten hongjoong and I hope you do as well!

hongjoong was still fairly new to any of seonghwa's friends, even if he's seen them more times than he can count on his fingers. he was only used to being with seonghwa, that the moments where said male had to step out or go to work, hongjoong would be stuck with them for long hours during the day.

the kitten hybrid reacted poorly to watching seonghwa leave through the window, tiny hands pawing at the glass, ears folded down.

"alright, hongjoong, what shall we do today?!" the kitten heard what he said, but it didn't process. he couldn't focus on anything but watching seonghwa get in his car and drive away.

"come 'ack, hwa" hongjoong mewled, trying his best to get the man to come back; resulting in small whimpers leaving his lips, fluffy tail tucked inbetween his legs.

hongjoong wasn't too fond of seonghwa's friends (granted this was new territory for them as well, they weren't sure how to deal with a kitten hybrid)

"hwa is gonna come back soon, dear, I promise." yunho softly explains, keeping his voice low for the upset kitten.

hongjoong begins to feel the panic settle in. although he knows that seonghwa's friends won't hurt nor harm him, he can't help but feel on edge. this is supposed to be his safe haven. what is he supposed to do when his safe place is surrounded by people he doesn't know?

he dashes over to the couch, grabbing his blanket (that seonghwa gifted him when he first found him) clutching it tightly in his arms, nuzzling his face against the fabric letting out small whimpers as he thinks of the person it smells like.

san and yunho back away to the doorframe, giving the hybrid some (or more like a lot) of space. they distinctly remember seonghwa giving them instructions of giving hongjoong lots of space when he feels overwhelmed or it'll cause a full blown temper tantrum.

they watch pitifully by the door as hongjoong curls in on himself, nuzzling against the blanket whimpering out seonghwa's name every now and then.

-

san gently tiptoes over to the couch, watching the kitten sleep contently. he needs to wake him up to give him some food, but he seems pretty hesitant to do so. (another one of seonghwa's rules: don't let hongjoong sleep too long or he'll be cranky and extra moody)

"hongjoong" san gently shakes him awake, voice as soft as he can make it "time to wake up." he leaned back as he saw the kitten slowly sit up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

hongjoong searched around for his blanket, clutching it close to his chest when he retrieved it. "your yunnie hyung made you a nice warm bottle. would you like to have it here or in the kitchen?" san questioned to the kitten.

hongjoong still seemed in his sleepy haze, unaware of his surroundings, only processing the strangers in the room. out of instinct, he hid under his blanket trembling like a leaf in a windstorm.

"I wan' my hwa" hongjoong's voice sounded wet, the sound of distressed meows filled the room. yunho came in a few moments later, bottle full of warm milk in one hand.

"hongjoong, love, hwa is coming back. but you need to have your bottle before so" his voice held a wary of patience, neither friend knowing how to comfort the said boy.

hongjoong shook his head, the bell on his collar jingling profusely. he wanted his hwa here with him, he didn't want yunnie or sannie hyung here- but he didn't have the right words in his vocabulary to express how so desperately he wanted the elder here.

so, he does what he normally does best- and quite frankly, what he really does when he's frustrated- he begins to cry, a garbled mess of mewls and whimpers.

the way hongjoong cries sound as if someone either stepped or pretty much pulled on his tail; it hurts to hear. they watch as hongjoong begins to meow in despair, shuffling to the window.

yunho stops him mid way, holding the bottle out to him "you need to drink your milk, dear. do you want one of us to help you?"

hongjoong pushed yunho away, but with his strength, it felt like a light shove. "hongjoong, we don't push. use your words, kitten, whats wrong?"

the said kitten begins to feel even more frustrated, ultimately begins to flail his arms. now yunho probably should have taken this as a warning sign. a distressed and frustrated hybrid flailing his arms should have been the hint to back up, to leave him alone. but yunho felt sympathy for the kitten; knowing he's just overwhelmed and scared- to the point where he can't even use words.

  


san swears it happened in the blink of an eye- and he also swears he's not exaggerating. in a turn of events, three occurrences happened- yunho groaning in pain, the sound of the bottle hitting the floor, and lastly; hongjoong meowing in distress followed by whimpers.

  


he doesn't know if he should comfort the distressed kitten or check to see if his friend is okay. he doesn't need to worry though, as hongjoong cautiously crawls over to yunho- nudging him with his nose making his collar wriggle. "i 'orry 'unnie, i 'orry" he notices the red handprint forming on his arm, causing hongjoong to slightly panic. he knows this isn't what he should've done, knows he should've just used his words instead. oh gosh, what is seonghwa going to say when he gets home? is he gonna not want him anymore because he hurt his friend? is he gonna leave him and dump him on the streets? if he does, maybe he'll drop him off at the same alleyway he found him in...

  


his inner turmoil was interrupted by a gentle hand on his shoulder, placing the smallest bit of pressure in the spot. it's hard to see who it is with the tears clouding his vision, but the voice sounds all too familiar.

  


"it's okay, hongjoong" san does his best to talk in a soft voice, afraid the slightest bit of raised vocals will send him into another panic "we know you didn't mean to, but we would really appreciate it if you used your words. yunnie hyung and i know sometimes that might be hard, but we know you can do it."

  


hongjoong sniffles, weakly nodding. san focuses on the kitten- how he hold's yunho's arm in his, cradling it like a baby, leaving tiny licks on the handprint mark that he himself left.

"hwa g'nna no' be 'appy" he mumbles, eyes holding that same wide doe expression.

yunho ruffles the kitten's hair affectionately "it's gonna be okay, this is how you'll learn, dear"

the front door opening broke the three out of their conversation, revealing a relieved seonghwa trudging in noticing the scene in front of him, he paused. "what happened here?"

the tone he uses makes hongjoong tear up, curling in on himself. the kitten's distressed mewls filling the room.

seonghwa knew he needed to comfort hongjoong first, arms held open as he makes his way over to the kitten; to which the latter let's out a sob, smashing his face into seonghwa's neck.

the taller picks him up, gently patting his bottom for comfort. "bubba, take some breaths for hwa, okay?" seonghwa's deep voice soothes the frazzled boy almost immediately.

he feels the kittens body slowly lean into his, his choking sobs turning into soft sniffles. hongjoong takes seonghwa's shirt into his mouth, a tell tale sign to seonghwa that he's self soothing.

"you here with me, kitten?" hongjoong merely nods at the question, nuzzling his face into the older's neck.

seonghwa carries his baby back into the living room, sitting on the couch. hongjoong tenses, wrapping his tail around seonghwa's arm.

"you wanna tell me what happened before I came home, bubba?" seonghwa pats his back comfortingly.

"hit yunnie hyung..." the kitten mumbled around seonghwa's shirt.

"why did you hit him, dear?"

hongjoong paused, he pulled away from the (now, soaking wet) shirt to look up at seonghwa. 

he takes in the warmth of his eyes. he remembers when he first looked into them; seonghwa held him in his arms as he fed him a bottle of warm milk to soothe the stray kitten. he remembers the moment that seonghwa got him his very own collar and his blanket; he'll never forget the amount of hugs and kisses and he received that day, the kitten being moved to tears of joy.

  
he loves looking into seonghwa's eyes as they always hold the love and comfort hongjoong needs. but now, he feels a pang of hurt as he looks into those and sees disappointment. the kitten begins to wring his hands together, gulping audibly.

"i say 'orry to yunnie hyung" hongjoong's lower lip begins to wobble "i 'ave him a booboo"

seonghwa turns him around, making him facing both his hyungs "I know you said sorry to your yunho hyung but you also owe san hyung an apology as well."

hongjoong begins to shrink in the spotlight; not too fond of everyone looking at him negatively. the hybrid quietly shakes his head, hiding his face in his hands.

a small reassuring squeeze on his side sends warmth up his spine. "you can do it, its okay" seonghwa mumbles in his ear.

hongjoong let's out a shuddering breath "i 'orry sannie hyungie" 

the older stands up from his spot, leaning down to press a gentle kiss on hongjoong's head "I accept your apology, sweetie. I hope next time we visit, we'll get to see you laughing and giggling" he pokes the kittens cheek, earning him a small smile.

hongjoong slowly nods, a small yawn escaping his lips. "I think that's our cue to leave" yunho stands up from the couch, san following close behind.

seonghwa stands up, placing hongjoong on his hip. "thank you for today, I know sometimes it can be hard-"

"don't even worry about it." san interjects "we know he's still learning and with the way you're raising him, I say you're doing an absolute amazing job" seonghwa smiles, nodding his head.

"say bye to your hyungs, baby" seonghwa pats his bottom to wake him up a little more. the sleepy kitten only manages what he thinks is a wave goodbye, earning a chuckle from the three hyungs. 

once the door is closed, seonghwa sighs with a small smile plastered on his face. "how does a nice warm bottle sound, kitten?" earning him a nod, his head movements causing his collar to jingle.

the older places him gently on the couch, handing him his blanket as he disappears into the kitchen. hongjoong paws at the blanket for a while, emitting small purrs. he feels content when it's just him and seonghwa in their home.

the kitten is so focused in thought, it's as if he momentarily forgets seonghwa left; when he returns, hongjoong almost pounces on him. "hwa!" he exclaims, his collar tags clinking together.

seonghwa smiles oh so delicately down at the hybrid, making his way next to him on the couch. "do you want me to feed you or you want to do it yourself?" he runs his hands over hongjoong's soft ears, causing the kitten to purr. he takes the bottle in both hands "i do it, 'm a big boy"

the older smiles "just be careful, darling" earning a small nod from the younger. hongjoong leans against seonghwa's stomach making himself comfortable, bottle held in both hands. seonghwa cards his fingers through the kitten's hair, soft brown locks gliding through his fingertips.

it doesn't take too long for hongjoong to finish, as he didn't have the bottle after he woke up. quietly handing seonghwa the empty bottle, he gets placed in the older's lap; a few pats on the back making him release a few burps.

hongjoong leans back to look up at the elder, hands absentmindedly playing with his shirt. "hwa no mad?"

seonghwa's face scrunches into one of concern " why would I be mad, sweetheart?"

"i h-hit yunnie hyung, 'ave him booboo" seonghwa wipes the tears away from his kitten's eyes before they even begin to fall.

"baby, I'm not mad at you. I just want you to know how important it is to use your words. I know sometimes words can be tricky and in some instances, it's easier to react than to speak, but I want you to learn and grow from this little mishap." hongjoong looks down, slowly nodding. seonghwa senses he's still on edge, so he scoops him in his arms, covering him with his blanket.

"hwa loves you so very much and will always be here for you. if you ever need help, don't hesitate to tell me. you're not alone anymore, bubba, I'm always going to be here for you" hongjoong buries himself deeper into the comfort and warmth that is seonghwa.

with the gentle rocking, hongjoong absentmindedly plays with one of seonghwa's hands as he feels one of his pacifiers being wriggled between his lips.

"you're safe here, my baby, no one is ever going to harm you." seonghwa places a soft kiss to the sleepy kitten's forehead, feeling content when his eyes flutter close. 

the suckling from the kitten's pacifier and purrs fill the room make seonghwa feel like he's done a good job. looking down at the now sleeping kitten, he feels himself soar with so much love he might just burst. no longer is he the small and malnourished kitten he found in the cold and dark alleyway; but a healthy and growing one, full of warmth and love.

and it's all thanks to seonghwa.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not gonna turn this into a chapter story (like my previous one ) but hey, if you want more of this let me know! Im just a sucker for kitten hongjoong lmao


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